Gettysburg Gazette
July 3, 1863
"War in our backyard"
It's the third day of battle, General Longstreet in the Confederate Army gives General Armistead to take the Union Ridge. Colonel Chamberlain of the Union Army was wounded on the second day when his sword was hit by a bullet and his sword edge was stuck into his leg. On the third day the Union fort was taking fire from Confederate artillery. During the artillery war General Meade's headquarters were destroyed. Some soldiers and Generals say that the artillery was not trying to hit the fort the said the Confederate was aiming for the Union artillery. The interesting thing about the cannons is that they shoot them from left to right to right to left. There was one quote said by General Hancock that no one will ever forget, “There are times when a Corp Commander’s life does not count”. General Armistead leads the attack out of the woods not on his horse. The Confederates lined up behind their own artillery for cover. As soon as the North sees the Confederates and fires at them with the artillery. The interesting thing about both sides is that when a flag barer is killed or down someone else immediately picks the flag back up. Some people might call that foolish but a soldier in the Civil War would understand that it’s just respect towards the land you love. As soon as the Confederates are close enough the Union infantry pops up from the fence and fires at the sitting ducks, but the Confederates breach the walls and General Armistead is shot off his horse by reinforcement artillery. General Hancock was wounded on the third day when a bullet was deflected off of his saddle horn and struck him in the abdomen. Doctors say the bullet did not go deep enough to do any major damage. Some other generals say that if the saddle horn were not there the bullet would have missed him completely, but there was another great quote said by General Hancock, “ I will not be moved before the engagement is decided, give me a tourniquet before I bleed to death”. With the reinforcements coming in and the last of the Confederates are on the run, all the Union soldiers shout out,” Fredericksburg! Fredericksburg!” In addition to the information supposively 7 thousand to eight thousand men killed, captured, or wounded in the battle of Gettysburg, and there were 11,000 Confederates in the beginning of the attack, and there were around 850 artillery men in the beginning.


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